Digital subscriber loop (DSL) has been widely used as a broadband access technology, and a typical networking scheme thereof is shown in FIG. 1. One or more customer premises equipments (CPEs) are connected to an auto-configuration server (ACS) through a DSL access multiplexer (DSLAM), a local broadband core network, and a broadband remote access server (BRAS). The ACS is connected to a service configuration manager through an ACS northbound interface.
DSL brings a wide range of broadband technology application, such as, VoIP and IPTV, and so on. Various kinds of IP-based terminal equipment, i.e., IP application terminals referred to as CPE in this field, are developed based on broadband technology applications or combinations thereof. Due to the possible defects of implementation, it is usually necessary for the IP application terminals to upgrade the software running thereon or update the configurations, so as to acquire a higher level of stability, and even a higher level of security and availability. The upgrade of software or the update of configuration also aims to add new functions for the equipment so as to better serve the users. The upgrade of software or the configuration on the IP application terminal is usually realized through file loading.
The above IP application terminal for the most part includes two loading methods. In one method, a command/message is transmitted from the outside of the IP application terminal to the terminal, so as to enable the terminal to load. In the other method, the IP application terminal checks itself with the relevant information periodically so as to realize the loading.
Currently, a series of technical reports (TR) on the CPE with TR-069 as the core are provided to define the operation frame of equipment management and automatic configuration based on an HTTP protocol. The CPE works as an HTTP client, i.e., an equipment prepared for loading; ACS works as an HTTP server, that is, a loading server. The CPE and ACS respectively provide some methods which can be invoked by the other. The methods are responding to a message in accordance with the standard, accomplishing the function specified by the message, and returning the result to the message transmitter. The method for invoking the remote equipment is transmitting a specific message to the equipment and waiting for the result to be returned by the equipment after processing the message. The invoker and provider of the method may transmit and process the message based on the HTTP protocol.
TR-069 defines that CPE provides a download method for ACS invoking remotely in order to realize the functions such as software upgrade and configuration update of the equipment, and describes the parameters included in the download method. As stipulated in TR-069, after the ACS invokes the download method of the CPE, the CPE can not be reset to accomplish the software upgrade and configuration update. The method and time for upgrading or updating configuration of the CPE depend on CPE, and the loaded content is usually validated to accomplish loading without influencing the online service.
However, under some special circumstances, e.g., when a fault diagnosis is performed on the equipment or an upgrade application on the equipment for providing new services is submitted, the file fails to be loaded by the equipment due to continuous on-line service or the file is loaded but can not be reset so that the loaded content can not be validated at once. Thereby, the diagnosis can not be conducted or the new service can not be provided in a real time, and human interference (e.g., manually resetting the equipment or rebooting the power) is required to accomplish the update operation, so as to accomplish the upgrade finally. However, the user may not be present during the diagnosis or upgrade, and at this time, an enforced resetting method is usually used, which, however, may interrupt the online service and may cause a loss for the user.
Moreover, during a common upgrade process, the file may fail to be loaded or fail to be validated after being loaded due to the extended time on-line service, so that the latest version can not be achieved, and the update makes no sense.